Drunk Driver Kills Two Men On The Capital Beltway

Kelli R. Loos, 33, has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a suspended license, and with driving under the influence – and these charges could be followed by manslaughter charges in the coming weeks.

On July 8 at around 11 p.m. in the evening, Loos hit a Nissian truck carrying two Springfield men, 39-year-old Gradys Mendoza, and 37-year-old Franklin Manzanares. The two construction workers and relatives veered off of the road and down a 60-foot embankment off of the Capital Beltway. Medoza died at the scene of the car accident while Manzanares died en route to the hospital. Both vehicles were traveling southbound on the Beltway when Loos served and hit the back of the construction workers’ truck, causing the vehicle to spin across lanes and leave the roadway.

Loos did not stop after the fatal car accident took place – and a witness to the deadly car crashed followed the drunk driver’s Jeep Cherokee into Virginia from Maryland. In Virgnia, Loos crashed again, hitting a highway sign while exiting the interstate. Both the Maryland State Police and the Virginia State Police praised the witness for calling in the accident and for following the hit and run driver.

Loos, who had been drinking at a bar in Maryland before driving, has a long history of traffic violations and failed court appearances. In the past, she has been charged with her involvement in another collision, with not properly insuring her car, with failing to produce a valid ID, and with driving with a suspended license. At the time of her hit and run accident, there was a warrant issued for her arrest.